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Hi David,

One of the last of the 2010 Saab 9-5s could be a good purchase, but it's a bit tricky for us to get a handle on how reliable they are as so few were sold. We've always fancied one ourselves actually. Another good option, and not one of the obvious German saloons, is the Lexus GS, especially if your budget stretches to the newer GS 300h hybrid. The safest option would be a Honda Accord, which is reliable enough to out-live the Solar System, but if you like your Swedes then the Volvo S80 is a great buy - reliable, hugely comfortable, and temptingly cheap these days. 

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Hi Tom,

The best ones to go for are the Volkswagen Golf Estate, Skoda Octavia Combi, Peugeot 308 SW, or Toyota Auris Touring Sports. Our reviews:

Volkswagen Golf Estate review

Skoda Octavia Combi review

Peugeot 308 SW review

Toyota Auris Touring Sports review

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Hi Mike,

Back as far as 2008 and 2009 sadly you're missing out on the Volvo V60, which is a cracking car and very affordable to run. You could get a bigger V70 with the 1.6-litre diesel engine, but it's a bit more expensive. The smaller V50 estate might be too small for you.

Would you consider a Skoda instead? An Octavia Combi is hugely spacious, reliable, cheap to buy and cheap to run. 

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Hi Kay,

Yes, you should see a considerable saving on fuel, probably in the order of 10mpg at least, depending on how and where you drive. It is worth noting, though, that you will also be looking at considerably higher maintenance and servicing costs, as the 320d is much more sophisticated and high-tech than your Golf and, without careful, regular attention from a specialist they can start giving serious trouble.

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Hi Martin,

We haven’t actually done that, as yet, but here’s a quick rundown of our favourites:

1. Skoda Superb Combi: massive, roomy, cavernous, spacious, replete with space — whatever way you want to put it, the Superb is the best estate around simply because you can fit the most amount of stuff into one. Looks good too, and is exceptionally comfortable. Not the sharpest thing to drive, but you won’t really care.

2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate: really good looking, massive boot, staggeringly high quality cabin, comfortable, smooth 2.0-litre diesel and surprisingly good to drive.

3. Volvo V90: another one that’s surprisingly good to drive, with sharper steering than you’d expect. Gorgeous interior, exceptionally comfy seats and the only problem is that the boot isn’t quite as big as it should be. Exterior styling does kind of make up for that, a little.

4. Volkswagen Golf Estate: not the obvious choice perhaps, but adds extra space (lots of it — a 605-litre boot) to the Golf’s usual other qualities of quality and classiness. An ideal family car and more affordable to buy and run than an average SUV.

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Hi Peter,

It depends on what kind of history the car comes with. If it has a fully-stamped-up service book and a folder bulging with receipts, tax discs and old NCT certificates, and is in obviously good condition, then I wouldn’t have too many worries. If it’s a bit tired and worn looking, and there are gaps in the history, I’d avoid.

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Hi Martin,

It is a shame that the GTD Estate isn’t imported into Ireland by Volkswagen as it’s a cracking car, but the sad fact is that the market for compact estates is so small, and high performance compact estates smaller still, that it’s probably not worth Volkswagen’s while. That said, the GTD Estate is effectively imported in the guise of both the Skoda Octavia RS TDI Combi and the SEAT Leon ST 2.0 TDI 180hp FR — of those two, we’d go for the Skoda, as it’s marginally sharper to drive than the SEAT, looks great and is simply massive inside.

Other options are the Opel Astra Sports Tourer in SRi spec with the 136hp 1.6 CDTi diesel engine — not as powerful as the Skoda or SEAT, obviously, but a great car and terrific to drive. Lovely interior too. Or you could try the Ford Focus ST TDCi Estate, which is brilliant fun to drive, but sadly is again on the personal import list.

Lastly, there’s the option of going second hand or nearly new and buying something along the lines of a BMW 3 Series Touring or Audi A4 Avant.

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Hi Liam,

OK, first off you don’t need and shouldn’t be buying a diesel. With that kind of mileage, and doing most of it in town, you’ll never get enough efficiency out of the engine and you’ll run into trouble with the particulate filter and more potentially.

Of the three cars you’ve mentioned, I think that the Mercedes B-Class might actually be the most sensible, and it’s certainly the roomiest if you’re concerned about carrying big loads. Worth remembering that for similar money you could probably get yourself into a nice C-Class Estate too, which is only a little smaller inside and a whole lot nicer to drive. I’d be tempted to stick with the Mercedes, too, for safety reasons, if your son is going to start learning to drive.

The Tiguan is another very good option, and there are versions with Volkswagen’s excellent 1.4 turbo petrol engine if you shop around. Again, safe and good to drive, if not quite as roomy as the B-Class. I’d avoid the Duster at this point — it’s diesel only, and not as safe as the Merc or Volkswagen.

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Hi Robert,

The estate (or 'Grand Megane' as Renault insisted on calling it) TomTom edition was announced in 2009 and introduced to the market in 2010. It was much better built and more reliable than the previous Megane, but there are still some weak points to keep an eye out for. Those include fragile fuel line clips, burned out coil packs on the 1.6 petrol, particulate filter problems on the 1.5 diesel, electrical problems especially with the windows and the heating system and premature clutch wear. 

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Hi Gerry,

Of the two, I’d prefer the 1.3 diesel. Neither is an especially refined engine by modern standards, but the 1.7 is a terrible old thing – incredibly noisy, rattly and prone to stalling when driving in stop-start traffic. The 1.3, if you get it with the 90hp output, has decent performance, is very economical and doesn’t seem to give too much bother. Great that you’re doing your own servicing, but beware of what effect that may have on the resale value as most buyers prefer to see a healthy book of dealer service stamps.